Machine for sizing



No Model.) H E EARLE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

MACHINE FOR SIZING, SOALDING, FULLING, AND WASHING HAT BODIES AND OTHERFELTABLE FABRICS.

No. 269,397. Patented Dec.'19 1882.

.dttorney N. PETERS. PhuwLimo n hl-r. Wumn mu. D. C.

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

' H. E. EARLE.

MACHINE FOR SIZING, SGALDING, FULLING, AND WASHING HAT BODIES AND OTHERFELTABLB FABRICS.

No. 269,397. Patented Dec. 19, 1882.

WY ESSES INVENTOR b z'nry lul'zarze,

Attorn N. PETERS, Phnln-Lilhogrzpher. Washin ton. D. c.

NITED STATES PATENT HENRY E. EARLE, OF DANBURY, ASSIGNOR OFTHREE-FOURTHS TO JOSEPH R. RAYMOND, WILLIAM T. RAYMOND, AND THOMAS I.RAYMOND, ALL

O F NORWALK, CONNECTICUT.

MACHINE FOR SIZING, SCALDING, FULLING, AND WASHING HAT-BODIES AND OTHERFELTABLE FABRICS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 269,397, dated December19, 1882. I Application filed May 18, 1882. (No model.)

T 0 all whom it may concern Be it known that I. HENRY E. EARLE, a citzenof the United States, residing at Danbury, in the county of Fairtleldand State of Connecticut, have invented certain new'and usefulImprovements in Machines for Sizing, scalding, Falling, and WashingHat-Bodies and other Fabrics; and 1 do hereby declare the following tobe a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and usethe same.

Myinvention relates to improvements in machines for sizing, scalding,falling, and washing hat-bodies and other felt-able fabrics; and theobjectis to perfect machines of this class, so that they will accomplishthis felting in a more thorough and eflicient manner, and moreeconomically and cheaply than the machine now in general use.

The invention consists in the construction and arrangement of certainparts of such machines, as will be more fully'described hereinafter,reference being had to the accompanying drawings and the letters ofreference marked thereon. I

Like letters refer to like parts in the several figures of the drawings,in which- Figure-1 represents a longitudinal vertical section of myimproved machine. Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section on line a; :r ofFig.1.

In the drawings, A is a suitable frame, having in its upper part atrough or receptacle, a, in which hot or cold water, with propersizing,is placed during the operation of sizing, scalding, fulling, and washingthe felting material of which the hat-bodies or other fabric which it isdesired to manufactureis composed. In this receptacle is arranged acorrugated or grooved bed plate or piece, B, which maybe made movable orstationary and adjustable, if desired. Above this bed-plate is securedtheframe-piece C,in grooveseof which the reciprocatingfeltingrubber D ismoved backward and forward by means of a pair of pitmen or connectinglinks, d. The rubber is provided with strips to roughen its surface. Thestrips or corrugations on the rubber D are made of varying depth orsize, so as to move the material backward and forward in a better mannerthan when made of 0 uniform size, as is ordinarily done, and so as toperform an action similar to the movements of the knuckles of the hand.These links are attached to cranks e on the shaft f, jourualed insuitable hearings on the sides of the 5 frame. They are made adjustableby means of bolts and slots gin the cranks 0, so as to im part more orless throw or movement to the rubber D. This gives the hat-body or otherarticle to beoperated upon a rolling motion backward and torwa-rd,whichfelt-s,sealds.'and hardens it. On the shaftfare secured a tight andloose pulley, E, by which motion is imparted to said shaft. To the sidesof the rubber are secured cross-heads i, which are mova- 6-5 ble up anddown in guides k, secured to the upright pieces I, attached to the frameA. To the upper ends of the cross-heads i are bolted the bent or curvedends of the two connectingrods F,.which are preferably curved toward 7otheir lower ends, and are attached to the ends of the pivoted levers m,which are united at their outer ends by means of a foot-treadle, a. Bypressing down upon this tr'eadle the rubber C is raised high enoughabove the corrugated 7 bed-piece, as shownin Fig. 1 by dotted lines, toplace the hat-body or other fabric, which is uusally wrapped in a pieceof cloth, between thcm,or to remove it when finished. By means of thetreadle the necessary or desired amount 8:; of pressure is also impartedto the fabric to be 1 felted, and according to the size of the roll tobe operated upon. A wedge-piece, 0, moving in guides secured to tloorand operated by a rod connected to a lever, p, can be moved in or out,and the amount of pressure is thereby regulated when the rods F come incontact with the wedge-piece.

The frame-piece or rubber, as well as the other parts of the machine,may be made of metal, 0 wood, or any other suitable material, and themachine may be made ofvlarger or smaller capacity, as desired.

The advantages of my improvements will be readily appreciated by thoseskilled in the art; 5

and some of them are, that the pressure upon the article to be feltedcan be regulated to any desired degree, an d excessive pressure can alsobe prevented by meansof the adjustable wedgepiece; the article can beeasily inserted in lace between the bed-plate and rubber and readilyremoved; the amount of movement of the rubber can be regulated by fieslotted cranks with the bolts; the parts are not liable to get out oforder; and the whole machine is much simpler and more economical thanany machine to my knowledge in use.

Having thus described myinventiqmwhatl claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent, 1s-

1. The combination of the connecting-rods and treadle with an adjustablewedge-piece for limiting and regulating the movement of theconnecting-rods and rubber, and thereby the pressure upon the article,substantially as set forth.

2. The combination of felting bed-plate B, having roughened surface, andreciprocating rubber D, provided with cross-heads i, movable in guides kby means of connecting-rods F and treadle m n, and means, substantiallyas described, for imparting a reciprocating motion to the rubber,substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. A machine for sizing, scalding, fnlling, and washing hat-bodies andother fabrics for felting, consisting of a frame, A, bed-plate B, havingroughened surface, the reciprocating rubber D, frame-piece (3, providedwith cross-heads 1', moving in guides k and adjusted by connecting-rodsd, and treadle m n. in combination with links d, cranks e, shaftf, andpulleys E, all arranged substantially as shown, and for the purposespecified.

In testimony whereofIaffix my signaturein presence of two witnesses.

HENRY E. EARLE.

- W'itnesses:

G. W. MoLEAr L. F. KELEHER.

